About Sarasota Coastal Credit Union, a division of Achieva Credit Union On December 12, 1953, seven school teachers came together and signed a Certificate of Organization to form the credit union. The original amount of $130 used to organize the credit union was deposited by those seven individuals. The name of the credit union started as The Sarasota County Teacher’s Credit Union. In the years that have followed, Sarasota Coastal adopted its current name in response to mergers with other credit unions, the inclusion of Sarasota County employees, and other select employer groups. Like Sarasota Coastal, Achieva Credit Union was started as a teacher’s credit union in 1937 in Pinellas County. Throughout the years, their field of membership and number of counties served has expanded. The merger is seen as an excellent fit between the two credit unions as the membership base is similar and the combined field of membership now encompasses counties from Hernando to Charlotte on the West Coast of Florida. Sarasota Coastal Credit Union members voted their approval of the merger in a Special Member meeting, held in Sarasota on Oct. 26, 2009. "We are pleased that the members of Sarasota Coastal Credit Union have voted in favor of merging, and we look forward to working with them throughout the entire consolidation process," said Gary Regoli, President and CEO of Achieva. "The combined strengths of the two credit unions will provide even greater benefits to all of our members." We welcome you to the family.